An Albuquerque mobile home caught fire on June 5, destroying it and everything inside and forcing Diane Baldonado and her family to start over, KOB 4 reported.
Baldonado said the future is uncertain since her mobile home burned down.
“I’ve been here forever, I don’t know what’s going to happen now," she told KOB 4.
Now struggling with homelessness, Baldonado admitted how much her little home off Menaul meant to her.
“Just memories in there, different memories," she said.
When Baldonado left to take her son to school, the home was fine, the station reported. When she returned, all she saw was smoke and flames in the home.
“I got stuck like frozen," Baldonado said. "I didn’t know what to do, like if to run in here or what. But my neighbor, her husband was trying to water it down because if anything – the branches here would have caught on fire, and then they would have been on fire."
Unfortunately, adding to the nightmare, Baldonado realized her 2-month-old chihuahua named Petunia was still in the trailer.
“That was hard because prior to that I wanted to take her with me that day, but she gets a little wild like a wiggly worm," she said. "She was acting wild every time I would go driving, so I said ‘No you have to stay.’ But she wanted to come with me, and she didn’t…I didn’t let her."
When Baldonado's late husband passed away, he left her the trailer, which she enjoyed decorating, calling it her safe haven.
“My daughter’s pictures were in there she just recently graduated, and we had her baby pictures, her photos from when she was a baby – they are all gone," Baldonado said. "We don’t have any pictures of that anymore, of my husband, the jewelry that he gave me."
Although she doesn't know what started the fire, Baldonado said it is a good example of the importance of having a plan so that you can be prepared. Now that her home and possessions are gone, she's looking for support from the community. Examples of those who are helping her include the Red Cross, which is helping her with a hotel for a few nights; and Albuquerque Community Safety, which is helping them out the rest of the month.
“I just want to say thank you for everything," Baldonado said.